Apple TV 4K features HDR, 2X faster processor, 4X faster graphics

It's the biggest update the Apple TV has seen in years.

Eddy Cue showed off the new tech with the Dolby HDR projector Apple installed in the theater to demo it. (Sadly, this did not come across at all on the livestream, which has been a problem with HDR marketing.)

Samuel Axon

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Aside from iPhones, the Apple TV was the most rumored device ahead of Apple's September event. Today, the company announced a new Apple TV set-top box that's in line with most previous speculations: it can play 4K and HDR content thanks to support from a faster processor.

Further Reading

4K output may not be enticing for those who don't consume 4K content already. Movies and TV shows filmed in 4K are not the majority yet, but companies have been working to produce more of this high-quality video content. Netflix has more than 100 titles streaming in 4K—but as with any 4K content, you need a 4K-capable display to watch it.

With the new Apple TV, Apple is addressing part of the hardware issue. Set-top boxes have become the middlemen for many consumers who mostly stream online video: for example, you can sign in to your Netflix account on a new Apple TV model, choose a 4K program to watch like Black Mirror, and stream it through the Apple TV to your 4K television. In order to address the content issue, Apple needed to release a 4K Apple TV first to compete with Roku, Amazon, and Nvidia, all of which have 4K-capable set-top boxes.

Eddy Cue revealed Apple is partnering with the largest Hollywood studios to bring 4K, HDR releases to iTunes.

Amazon Prime Video is coming to Apple TV later this year with 4K, HDR content, too.

Apple is also adding many local services across the world for everything from live sports (coming later this year) to a local anime streaming service.

Further Reading

With this new Apple hardware, the company will focus on producing and obtaining 4K content that will be accessible only to those with a new Apple TV. The company set aside $1 billion for its original content initiative in 2018, and some of that sum will go toward making new 4K shows and getting the rights to sell 4K titles on iTunes. Apple has reportedly been in talks with movie studios to sell 4K titles on iTunes at $20 each, but the tech giant faced pushback from Hollywood companies that believe these UHD movies should sell for about $30 per title. At the event today, Apple's Eddy Cue confirmed Cupertino's partnerships with big Hollywood players (Lionsgate, Universal, etc.) and other TV/streaming companies from Amazon to local services worldwide (like CBC or AnimeLab).

Game designer Jenova Chen, of thatgamecompany (Journey, Flower), came to show off the Apple TV's new gaming muscle.

The title on display is Sky, a "romantic, social adventure game." It struck our Samuel Axon as similar to the studio's previous titles: "This probably has the same kind of unexpected multiplayer features as Journey."

Further Reading

Cue also pushed the angle of gaming on Apple TV in light of the new hardware. The latest Apple TV box adds Metal 2 and the A10X Fusion Chip, so "we are able to run the game smoothly even with detailed clouds and up to eight players from anywhere in the world," said game designer Jenova Chen, of thatgamingcompany (makers of Journey and Flower). Chen was on hand to demo a game called Sky, a "romantic, social adventure game." Senior Reviews Editor Samuel Axon likenedSky to previous thatgamingcompany titles after watching the demo. "This probably has the same kind of unexpected multiplayer features as Journey," he wrote.

The new Apple TV with 4K capabilities starts at $179/£179 for the 32GB version. Orders begin on September 15, and the device ships on September 22.